The Mysteries of London, Vol. IV — page 250: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

THE MYSTENIES OF LONDON, ones od ee ae rill excuse me for a moment if I recall the past to your recoliection——” «But why, sir—why?” exclaimed the clerk, his pale face suddenly becoming paler still, and his limbs trembling convulsively. ‘‘Becauso I choose,” returned his master, bru- tally: “because it suits my present purpose to remind you how much you are in my power.” The wrotched clerk moaned audibly, but uttered not another word. “Mwelye years ago, Mr. Green,” resumed Heath- cote, with deep emphasis and in a measured tone, as if he were determinced that not a syllable which he intended to say should be Jost on the unhappy man who was thus undergoing a painful—agonising infliction,— twelve years ago, Mr. Green, you were an attorney in practice for yourself, An accident, tho particulars of which it is not necessary for me to recite, made mu acquainted with a fact which placed you entirely at my mercy. You and a gen- tleman named Clarence Villiers had beon left tho joint guardians of u boy then a little more than cight years old; and a thousand pounds were invested in the funds in the name of yourself and the said Cla- renco Villiers. It had beon agreed that you should be the acting trustee. You wanted money—you forged the name of Clarence Villiers to the neces- sary deed—and you sold out the thousand pounds.” Tho miserable clerk zroaned again, more audibly than before: but his master heeded not the intense agony his words inflicted. ! “Yes—you sold out the money, and appropriated it to your purposes,” continued the remorseless attorney. “The fact came to my knowledge,—and I offered to save you, on condition that you should serve mo—that you should devote yourself to me, body and soul—that you should see only with my eyes, hear only with my cars, and use your hands and your intellectual powers asI directed. I re- quired a person of this description: I was looking out for such an one at the moment when accident thus placed you in my power. We scon camo to terms. You gave up a business that was not worth retainiug—and you became my head clerk. I have paid you two guineas a week with the most scrupn- lous rogularity—and I have often made you little presents, as even this very morning have I done, ‘But what more havo I been generous enough to do for you? Why—I hare regularly paid the interest of tho thousand pounds for you, as if it were still in the Bank of England; and your ward suspects not that his capital is gone. Neither does your co-trustee Clarence Villiers suspect it, Mr. Green,” added Heathcote, emphatically. “But in six weeks’ time, the youth will have completed his twenty-first year; and he will apply to Mr. Villiers and yourself for hig thousand pounds. Mr. Villiers will ask to accompany you to the Bank to make over the money: in due form—for Mr. Villiers isan honourable man. But the money will not be there—unless I replace it for you, and thus save you from transportation for life 1” « And you have promised that you will replace it, kind sir—you have undertaken to Save me from oxposure, degradation, and punishment !” exclaimed the clork, his voice and manner becoming almost wild in the earnestness of their appeal. “Yoes—and I will keep my- word, Green,” re- sponded Heathcote, “If I have now recapitulated circumstances which are necessarily so indelibly ktampved upon your memory, it was merely to con- 243 vince you that f have it in my power to save you from a terrible fate—or to crush you as I would a viper beneath my heel. We shall not be tho worse friends becauso we undorstand our relative posi- tions; and mark me—never, never would I place myselfin the power of aman unless he were ten thousand times more entangled in my meshes than I could possibly be in his.” Surely—surely, sir, you do not suspect mj fidelity 2” said the clerk, tho workings of whosa palo countenance were dreadful to behold; “surely you do not think that I should be ungrateful o1 mad enough to breathe a word to your prejudice? If you have done much for me, sir, I have served you faithfully; and this I can assert without fear of contradiction. I am evor at your disposal—ever in readiness to obey your commands. without questioning their propriety.” “All this I know, my friend,” said Heathcote, his brows now elevating themselves with triumph; for be saw that tho trombling wretch before him was docile, pliant, and obedient as a deaf and dumb slave following tho signals made by an oriental despot: “all this I know,” repeated tho lawyer;—"but there is no harm in occasionally setting forth the grounds on which our connexion is based. This being accomplished in the present instance, we may at once revert to the business that we have now in hand.” “ Relative to Mrs. Sefton, sir?” remarked Green, anxious to convince his master that he was mind- ful of the grave and important interests now ins volved in connexion with that lady’s name, “Yes—relatire to Mrs, Sefton,” said Heathcote. “T have already observed that there are only two ways of dealing with her: either to lock her up in a place of security for a time, or to get her out of the country. Tho latter alternative must be adopted ; and it is for you to play a part which, if in- geniously enacted, cannot fail of success.” Mr. Green placed himself in an attitudo of deep attention—for all this while, as the reader will ob- serve, he had remained standing, his master nevor desiring him to be seated, however long their con- ference might last. “Phe impatience of this Mrs. Sefton is doubtless growing intolerable,” continued the lawyer: “a week has now passed since Sir Gilbert disappeared —and she will speedily initiate active measures to discover what has become of him. There is not therefore another moment to lose;—and her own affection shall be made the means of which we will avail ourselves in order to baffle and defeat her. Do you repair at once to Kentish Town and seek an interview with her. She does not know you—she nover saw you: she will suspect nothing—but believe everything. You will tell her that you have just arrived from Liverpool that you aro an intimate friend of Sir Gilbert— and that ho has embarked for America, in conse- quence of serious pecuniary embarrassments. You must assuro her that those embarrassments camo on him so suddenly, menacing his person with arrest—and thut he was so bewildered and excited by the danger and disgrace which thus threatened him, that he fled without having time to commu- nicate even with her. You will then go on to say that he sent you up to London to break these news to her—to supply her with money—ard to implore her to hasten after Sir Gilbert, whom sho will joir at New York, All this must you tell her;—and it (C(O) (C DOO SS (SO)